expression, godan verb (-ru)
choke; have trouble breathing
Describes a physical sensation of breath being constricted, often due to tight clothing, strong emotions, or a heavy atmosphere.
ネクタイがきつくて息が詰まる。
My tie is so tight I can't breathe.
緊張で息が詰まりそうだった。
I was so nervous I felt like I was choking.
Standard kanji spelling.
Kana spelling of the verb part; common in everyday writing.
息が詰まる is a more everyday, figurative expression for feeling suffocated, while 窒息する is a medical/technical term for actual suffocation.
Compound of 息 (breath) + が (subject marker) + 詰まる (to be blocked). The verb 詰まる means 'to be packed' or 'to be blocked', so the phrase literally means 'breath becomes blocked'.